Betera is a small town near to Valencia in Spain which celebrates each year it's traditional Basil Festival. Each 15 August they celebrates this festival which it is a National Tourism Festival and it has got the record guiness as biggest basil in the world in 2007 with 259 centimetres of high. In 2008 they can not get another record guines because the weather was too cold, and the begining when the basil was planted they haven`t got a properly weather which it made the plant hasn't grown as much as 2007. This festival is origirally from 19 Century and it is a offering flower in honour August Virgin. In this festival BASILS and OBRERAS are the main womans of this festival whose 2 are singles and 2 are married. The singles Obreras wearing a traditional dress of 18 Century of Valencia area and it's election as Obreras is a secret which it is not saying until 22 August of this year for the next year. When the obreras are elected they have got a big responsability , specially the singles one whose are the maximum representation of the town. To be OBRERA it will cost 40.000 euros because the person who are elected she has to invited and pay all the acts of this festival. Laura Grande a tv presenter of a Local Televison from Valencia was a Obrera a few years ago and she said that there are two special moment in this festival for THE SINGLE OBRERA : The first one is when the Obrera go out from his house and give one round of herself to show his dress., The second act which emotions are intense is when the OBRERA arrives to the entrance of the Church and MARRIED OBRERA put a white veil in his head as a symbol of virginity. I would like to say thank you to LAURA GRANDE because she help to me to do this report. Also Another important representation in this Festival are MAYORALES whose They are very important in this festival because they are the person whose they will organise the festival for next year which are elected, for this reason they will be responsible to get money for the festival and to do many acts, so when they have been selected they will made a national lotery, bingos and sell drinks and baguettes during the year was elected and the following year they will enjoy the festival. To be a MAYORAL there is a list for each year and to be elected it takes a long time for this reason you have to apply 10 or 15 year before you are selection as MAYORAL. Javier Adrian has applied this position in 1997 and he says to me that soon he will be a Mayoral. As LAURA GRANDE, JAVIER ADRIAN explain many things about this festival and I would like to say Thank you to him. This year he is one of the person whose wearing one of the 24 BASIL.The person whose wearing the 24 basill are elected by the SINGLE OBRERAS and they choose between friends and relatives. They usually wearing a flower's shirt and they are called PORTADORES DE LA ALFABEGA (Carriers of BASIL) or CORSETERS (popular name). JAVIER ADRIAN recommend me to see one of the 4 decorate's street of this festival which show a rabits, squirol , traditional carriage and old house of Valencia which are made with straw. This street it takes many days to decorated and 15 person met at 7 o`clock in the afternon until midnight during 20 days to make decoration's street. .In 2008 the BASIL FESTIVAL started at 10 o'clock in the morning when the Obreras (mains single's womans of the festival) arrives to the Hort Alfabegues(place where the basil were guarded) and all together they went out to go around all the streets of Betera until they arrives to the Church. This year there are 20 big Basil and 4 small basil. The big basil weigh is 1200 kilogrames and it was moved in a carriage. The Medium Basil weigh is around 700-800 kilos and it was moved by 10 persons whose are called CORSETERS and the small Basil weigh is 150-200 kilogrames. Also there is a person RAMON ASENSI who is responsible to plant the basil and take care during 4 months of this plant which it can grow more 2.30 metres, depending of the weather. There is another important group for this festival whose they are named GLOMA . They will give confeti in al the street where the procession throw, for this reason they have to give more than 11000 kilos of confetti around all the street. Also this group they will helped by a small lorry where the cofenti is guarded. In 2008 the festival went quickly than other years and The first single Obrera , Maria Pilar arrived at 13,30 at the church square where the white veil was put in his head for the married Obrera. This moment it is one of the most emotive act of this event and Pilar's emotions were very special and she started to cry as a symbol of happiness, later on Maria Amparo, the second single Obrera arrived to the church square and she has the same feelings as Pilar's emotions.After this act they went to the church and they went to the church and the festival finished.Betera is enjoying all the festival which it is pretty nice and surprisingly and next friday 22 August they will know whose are the new Obreras for the next festival in 2009.

If would you like to see more photos you can pick up the following links:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-61508- 1 parte
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-61505-2 part
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-61506-3 part
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-61508-4 part
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-61551. 5 part
writer: Javier Mesa Reig
The video was filmed by: Javier Mesa Reig